New Delhi: The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup hosted for the first time in India may well go on become the biggest World Cup in the tournament’s history if it is to go by the record of attendance in each tournament. Courtesy, the overwhelming response from the audience India became only the third host country after China and Mexico to witness an attendance over a million for the event and with nine days of the coveted event still left to play, the land of billions looks well on course to break the existing record of 1,230,976 set during the very first edition in China in 1985.
A total number of 44 matches have been played in total in the World Cup so far with eight of the 24 teams reaming in contention for the title. The attendance record just crossed the million mark in the final match of round of 16 played between Brazil and Honduras, taking the total number to 1,007,396 and it might go on to set a new bench mark of attendance in the ongoing World Cup in India. “Over the remaining nine days, the Local Organising Committee would like to make this tournament the biggest FIFA U-17 World Cup ever, the previous record of 1,230,976 was set in the very first edition in China in 1985,” said Javier Ceppi FIFA’s tournament director for this tournament.
The host nation may have failed to qualify for the knock-out rounds but their gritty display and never die attitude has attracted a huge number of audience to the game. The average attendance for India games at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Delhi, stood at 49,000 while the attendance for all the other games count upto 23,000 which if compared is more than double the average attendance recorded in the previous U-17 World Cup in Chile. “We really feel that football has taken over the country and the craze that the tournament has generated is one of a kind. The fans have been fantastic and now India 2017 is on track to become the most attended FIFA U-17 World Cup in the history of the event,” Ceppi added, quoted the Times of India.
Now, in a bid to ensure a packed stadium and increase the number of attendance for the upcoming matches, the Local Organising Committee has recollected some complimentary unutilized tickets from the stakeholders and sponsors and put them back-on-sale at the four different venues namely, Kochi, Guwahati, Navi Mumbai and Margao.
India is well on the verge of creating a new overall atendance record and according to Ceppi, “Keeping that in mind, we have recalled some of the complimentary tickets given in Goa, Guwahati, Kochi and Navi Mumbai and will be opened today so that all football lovers on those cities can have an opportunity to watch the last matches. For that to happen, we appeal to all football fans and spectators to get their tickets and fill up the stadiums on the next matches, so that India 2017 can leave its mark and have the record of attendance for a FIFA U-17 World Cup.”